Assad vows to hand over Syria's chemical weapons, US hold talks with Russia

Updated
Fri Sep 13 01:00:42 EST 2013

Photo

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad says US threats did not affect his decision to hand over his chemical weapons.

AFP/Syrian Arab News Agency

President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to hand over Syria's chemical weapons, but claims the threat of US military action did not bring about the political move.

Speaking to Russian television, Mr Assad said Syria would place its chemical weapons under foreign control in line with Moscow's proposal.

"Syria is handing over chemical weapons under international control because of Russia," Mr Assad was quoted as telling Rossiya 24 state news channel.

"US threats have not affected the decision," he said, adding that Syria planned to file documents to the United Nations to sign an agreement on chemical arms.

Mr Assad's move came as the US and Russia prepared to meet in Geneva for talks on the proposal for Syria to open its doors to inspectors and eliminate its chemical weapons.

Key points

Assad says Syria will hand over chemical weapons, but not because of US threats

US secretary of state John Kerry to discuss plan with Russian foreign minister

Syrian opposition groups denounce plan, saying it will only lead to more deaths

Analysts and officials say plan is achievable but risky and difficult

Backed by a large team of experts, US secretary of state John Kerry was to meet Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

Officials from the two countries were to pore over Moscow's plan - an 11th-hour proposal that led US president Barack Obama to put off threatened US military action against the Syrian regime.

Washington wants to see if Mr Assad is serious about putting his chemical weapons stockpile under international control, amid allegations the regime used sarin gas in an attack near Damascus last month.

Ahead of the talks, a senior US official said Washington was urging Syria to "declare all of their stockpile quickly."

The official said Washington would be asking for specific action from Damascus to test the regime's sincerity and discussing the "different modalities" of destroying Mr Assad's chemical weapons and production facilities.

"It's doable, but difficult," the official said.

Mr Lavrov voiced optimism ahead of the talks, saying during a visit to Kazakhstan: "I am sure that there is a chance for peace in Syria... We cannot let it slip away."

In a speech quoted by Russian news agencies, Mr Lavrov said he was prepared to "ensure Syria's adherence to the chemical weapon ban convention."

The US and its main backer of military strikes on Syria, France, have warned they will not allow the chemical weapons plan to become a delaying tactic in Syria's brutal war, saying the threat of military force remains on the table.

Revealing details of the Russian proposal for the first time on Thursday, daily Kommersant said Moscow had given Washington a four-step plan for the weapons handover.

Quoting a Russian diplomatic source, Kommersant said the plan would see Damascus join the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), declare the locations of its chemical arms, allow OPCW inspectors access and finally arrange for destruction of the arsenal.

The commander of the Free Syrian Army, Selim Idriss, said in a video posted on YouTube that the rebels categorically rejected the Russian initiative.

And the Syrian National Coalition opposition group said the plan is a "political manoeuvre aimed at buying time" for Mr Assad and would be a "green light" to other regimes to use chemical weapons.

Russian president Vladimir Putin meanwhile made an unusual personal appeal to the American people to reject military action in an opinion piece in the New York Times.

"A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism," Mr Putin wrote.

"It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance."

Mr Putin welcomed US willingness to consider the Moscow initiative, but warned any strikes without the approval of the United Nations Security Council, where Moscow wields a veto, would destroy the credibility of the world body.

Russia is a traditional ally of Mr Assad, and Moscow, backed by China, has blocked any attempt to sanction his regime through the United Nations.

The talks in Geneva were expected to last two to three days and also focus on revitalising efforts to organise a peace conference aimed at ending Syria's civil war.